Thaanks @BanjoBen, just got aquainted with the tef files and have loaded a few. Nice tool!
Discuss the Banjo lesson: Banjo Forward Roll Study
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My index and middle finger hit the drum head as I am playing. Is this an issue?
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Hi @joe2 It could be an issue if your constantly hitting the head. Make sure you have at at least one finger on the head, check and adjust you angle of attack. Most beginners start out hitting the head a lot over time they learn to correct it. Occasionally I hit the head and I also heard Earl Scruggs on at least one occasion hitting the head whilst demonstrating his picking pattern at a slow speed. Check out @BanjoBen 's lessons on rolls in the beginners learning track.
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I am just starting the roll lessons now. I guess I will pay more attention and see what happens. Thanks for the response!
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Sure, be patient, don’t try to rush things. you’ll make a ton of mistakes it’s all part of the learning process. Just know that each new day you will be better than the day before.
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Hello
First off THANKS for this amazing resource! I seem to be having trouble with my little finger wanting to hit the 1st string, especially when I do the pinch part. I am keeping both on the head and it seems I am far enough away. I have huge hands, is it just a matter of working on my flexibility in my fingers? Any thoughts are appreciated. BTW - THIS is a hoot!
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Hey Robert! Welcome to the board!
Without seeing your hand, it sounds to me like you may not have enough bend in your wrist. Your picking hand needs a bit of arch in it to properly attack the strings. If it’s too low, you’ll get less volume, pick noise, and as you described, your non-picking fingers might get in the way.
Give that wrist a little bend and see if it helps. If not, some photos, or even a video of your playing would help us help you.
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Hi Robert, Welcome to @BanjoBen 's Forum. It’s hard to give advice without seeing what’s happening. If you could post a video that would help us to help you.
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Mark hit it on the head!! I move my arm more over the banjo and bent my wrist, problem solved - THANKS! Funny, something so simple but hard to see from my limited vantage point.
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Hi Ben, I have just started playing banjo and am finding your lessons so helpful, thank you!! I have a question about chords in this lesson. Measure 2 is a modified C and the tab tells you how to fret to achieve the modified C. However in measure 4, you fret a D7 when you play but the tab indicates you only use the second fret on 3rd string. Why is this?
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Hi Dale @dale.ewart73 Welcome to @BanjoBen 's Forum. Great question.
Ben is fretting the 2nd string D7 Chord but only needs to play the 5th 3rd and 1st strings in that forward roll pattern to get the D7 sound. Which is shown in the TAB illustration, You don’t see the 2nd string fretted at the 1st fret because that string is not picked in measure 4, only the strings that are played are shown in the TAB
The open 5 string is a G the fretted 3rd string at 2nd fret is A and the open 1 string is D. This may seem confusing right now but as you work your way through the beginners learning track what seems confusing now will all be explained in future lessons on Chords and Licks.
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Welcome @dale.ewart73,
Great to question and clarify. Aren’t we fortunate to have @Archie to explain so timely, thoroughly but concisely too!
Please come back to post often in the forum.
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Howdy @dale.ewart73! Great question. There are several reasons why, actually. First, that 2nd string is a B and can cause some overtones if you don’t cover it. That’s not the most important reason, necessarily, but a good one. Second, it’s very common to have to play that 2nd string when a song calls for a D or D7 chord–more common than it would be to play a full C chord when a song calls for a C chord, so I’m teaching folks to go ahead and get that finger down. That is really related to reason 3 which is about the process. I’m introducing students to the banjo in increments–trying to push the brain and abilities but not overwhelm, and I feel that learning to put that index down for that chord at this time in the process is good. Thanks!
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I am brand new to the site and this question was the exact one that I had. I started with this forward roll lesson and in a few practices I’ve already learned more and am having more fun than all the previous in person lessons I took over the past year. There are 3 extremely valuable things to me: 1) video, see the lessons performed with the tab; 2) hearing what it’s supposed to sound like; and 3) starting s…l…o…w and building on it. I love the mp3 play along tracks but I could not understand what it was supposed to sound like at 110bpm. Hearing it full speed is great, but I’m not there yet. This video will really, really help me get there. For what ever it’s worth hearing the lesson played at the slower bpm’s along with the mp3 tracks would be very helpful. Thank you so very much for the site. It’s incredible and tons of fun.
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@sgrandchamp you can slow down the tracks by running them through a software such as Amazing Slow Downer, etc.
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thank you, i’ll check it ou
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WELCOME to the site. Thanks for posting and I hope to see ya around more often!
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Thanks! And that’s why I have the .tef tab files, make sure to take advantage of them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzS9NxVuNbg
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Hey BanjoBen , very new to this and a quick question. Why don’t you pick middle G with thumb ?, I thought thumb picked top 3 .
You have probably mentioned this earlier , I am just jumping over the place looking at a bit of everything.
Cheers
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Welcome forum @gkenny486!
You will probably get a better explanation from one of the more talented players on here… but I will share that many tunes require your thumb to alternate between having your thumb play on the high 5th string and others on the forth and 3rd strings.
I think the purpose of this is to help you get used to picking with your thumb on the other strings.
I hope that helps…
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